Phonograph record repeater



July 3, 1945. g, L; ARNES 2,379,560

PHONOGRAPH RECORD REPEATER Filed Jan. 26, 1943 1 lung} I l Patented July 3, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PHONOGRAPH ancoan REPEATER Allen L. Barnes, Melrose Park, Ill. Application January 26, ro ls, Serial No. 473,623 I s Claims. (01.274-15) This invention relates to phonograph record repeaters of devices for re-playing or repeating the playing of a record, especially of the disk or wafer type.

An object of the invention is to provide a very simple, durable and. improved phonograph recordwithout shock, jar or vibration, so as not to drop the same suddenly, thereby preventing. injury to the needle-point and record.

Another object is to provide a record repeater which involves no relatively movable parts; which can be easily applied to the motor shaft andrecord, to turn therewith and with the turn-table of the machine; which can be applied to tone arms of different designs without substantial change in the construction of a support or clip,

which is so constructed as to prevent shifting or rocking thereof, and to be adapted to tone arms of different heights or spaced relations to the record.

Another object of the invention is to provide a record repeater in which the weight of the tone 1 arm causes it to set the needle softly on the record and more softly than can be accomplished by hand, without lateral or vertical vibration, and which includes a spiral resilient Or spring member adapted to be depressed by the weight of the tone arm to bring the playin needle into engagement with the record at the sound groove tangentially to the plane thereof and at the outer portion of the record and groove, without injuring. either of them.

san another object of the invention is to pro.-

vide a spring repeating device of the kind specifled, including a spiral arm removably clamped in positionand capable of radial and rotatlve or circular adjustment on a vertical axis relative to the plane or surface of the record to suit different playing areas on the records, and in a vertical plane on a horizontal axis with the spiral spring arm on an inclined plane to properly engage a cooperating device or instrumentality on the tone arm and having its outer portion concentric to the turntable shaft or axis of rotation and of the .same curvature as the sound groove of the sound groove.

at its outer portion, whereby the weight of the tone arm presses the spiral spring arm downwardly so as to deposit the needle in the sound groove with a feather landing, in alignment with the groove and which compensates for vibrationsv or lateral play of the tone arm so as not to injure the needle, the record surface or groove thereof, whether vertical or lateral cut, and in which said spring easily disengages itself from the instrumentality of the tonearm.

Another objectis to proilide a record-repeater which does not engage or contact with the playing needle or surface'of the record and voids injury thereto, as well as preventing the needle from dropping suddenly onto the records to injure them, and does not include parts moving on or across the record to scratch or mar the same.

Still another object of the invention is to provide means for adjustment of the device to properly lift the tone arm at the last or inner'portion of the sound groove and to properly replace the playing needle at the outer portion of the groove to insure perfect operation or alignment of. the pick-up and discharge ends thereof, with respect to the sound groove, at such points, if the allowance for play is.not sufilcient to allow leeway or lateral play of the tone-arm support on the armmoving wire to insure proper engagement of the support with the wire and permit lateral play of the tone arm in playing a record, the wire being bent down at both ends so the su port willnot catch and so' that the needle has engaged the record before the outer bend or end of the spring is reached and the tone arm is in the clear when such outer bend is reached after the playing needle rests on the record, after which the wire spring easily disengages itself and returns to normal position.

Qther objects and advantage will appear and be brought out more fully in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanyapplied and in a position which ittakes lmmediately after the completion of the playing of a record and before the tone arm and needle are started on their movement outwardly to the outer portion of the record.

. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the device as shown i v I I in Fig. 2, indicating tl'i'e'start of the swinging of the tone arm audits needle to the outer porti 1 arm and needle raised from the record.

.Fig. 5 is a side elevation with the tone arm and needle at th outer portion of the record and sound groove thereof, in the position in which it is discharged while in contact with the record, and

Fig. 6 is a central vertical sectional view of a base taken on the line of the base holding pin.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the invention is shown applied to a phonograph l0, having a shaft ll driven by a suitable motor such as an an electric motor or spring, and having a turntable 12 usually provided with a felt covering l3.

The machine is provided with a tone arm l4, which swings on horizontal and vertical axes at l5 and has a sound box or sound reproducer l6, illustrated as an electrical pick-up having a playing needle I! adapted to engage the sound groove ill of a record I9. designates a sound amplifler or loud speaker, and 2t may be a switch controlling the operation of the machine, and which may be connected to a source of electrical current through the medium of an extension cord or conductor cable 22, having a plug 23'for connection with a wall socket of the house wiring.

The record has a hole 24 at the center to fit the shaft II and rests upon the felt covering l3 of the turntable I2, so as to turn therewith. All of these features are conventional or common in the art.

The device of the present invention comprises 'a base or mounting plate 25 shown circularand having a ,vertical stem or pedestal 26 at the center and formed of metal, plastic or other suitable material. The base has a cushion 21 of rubber, felt, cloth or the like on its bottom face, to frictionally flt against the top surface of the record l9, tending to cause it to rotate therewith, as well as preventing injury to the playing surface of the ,record.

The base plate has a central socket 28 at the bottom, extending up into the stem 26 to receive the shaft II, and also has a pin 29 depending therefrom at a point spaced from the center to engage a hole 30 in the record, to cause the base plate to turn with the driven motor shaft ll,

turntable l2, and record I8. Of course, other suitable means may be provided for this purpose and to detachably mount the base plate on the record over the motor shaft. V

The upper end of the stem 26 is provided with a threaded bore 3| and one or more diametrical passages 32 are provided in the stem across the bore, preferably at right angles to each other, and a set screw 33 is threaded in the bore 3i and provided with suitable means such as a milled or knurled head 34, to turn it into and out of the threaded bore.

The lifting and lowered device proper consists of a. spring coil, "preferably of flexible tempered wire made from round stock or otherwise, such asv musical instrument wire, having a radial or diametrical portion formed by a rectilinear inner end 36 extending inwardly, radially or diametrically, substantially at right angles or at acute angles to the inner end of the coil and adapted to be disposed through one of the diametrical passages 32 in the stem 26, whereby rotative or circular adjustment horizontally on a vertical axis may be obtained as well as radial adjustment, and clamped in adjusted position by theset screw the juncture of the-coil with the end 36,

a curved raised shoulder or vertical rounded portion 31 is formed to space the beginning or inner end of the coil from the horizontal plane of the portion 38. This inner portion 38 is spiral or eccentric relative to the shaft and center of the record as well as the stem, and the outer portion 1 39 is concentric thereto as well as to the sound groove 18 and of the same curvature as the latter, so as to line up' with the outer portion of the sound groove. The eccentric portion 38 extends from the raised curved anticlinal or inclined humped riser portion 31 to the point :t', and the concentric portion 33 extends from the point a: to the end of the spring or flexible arm 35, which end has a portion 40 bent or curved downwardly for a purpose to be hereinafter explained.

The spring coil is comparatively rigid at its inner portion and as it approaches its free end becomes more flexible, so that it will be depressed by the weight of the tone arm. For this purpose, the tone arm is provided with a support; or open clip 4|, preferably made of a tapered strip of spring bronze, phosphorus spring bronze or spring steel, although it may be formed of suitable material such as a plastic, which may also be used in the manufacture of the base instead of metal. This tone arm support or clip has one end curved to form a top portion 42 and a fiat bottom portion 43, with a vertical or upright arm 44 at the inner side, extending up adjacent to and above the free end of the inwardly curved top portion 42. The arm may be curved back or outwardly toward the portion 42 as shown, or may be otherwise shaped, as indicated, to conform to the shape of the tone arm, simply by bending same, to fit tone arms of various shapes and sizes, thicknesses and heights. -The clip is also slightly smaller than the tone arm, so as to hold tight on varioustone arms, and being fiat and of considerable width this prevents rocking of the clip on the tone arm, so as to hold the latter firmly.

The top of the portion 44 is bent inwardly, substantially horizontally, or this may be at a slight incline inwardly as indicated at 45, with its opposite edges preferably beveled or tapered on the underside, to smoothly ride up on the spring track without catching. Part 45 has a depending part 46 at its inner end in spaced relation to the por-- tion 44, so as to allow considerable lateral play on the track or wire between the portions 44 and 46 when engaged on the spiral flexible coil, guide track or support 35 to compensate for different playing areas on the records and the radial distance .or termination of the sound groove area from the center, so that the clip will always approach the inner end of the spring coil at the inner end'ofthe sound groove. This, of course, may be insured by radial adjustment of the coil at the rectilinear portion 36 in either one of the passages 32 by merely loosening the set screw 33 and then clamping the portion 36 in adjusted position. It is also to be understood that the tone arm l4 swings up and down at'the pivot I5.

In the use and operation of the device, with the record in position on the turntable and shaft, the base plate is fitted over the shaft and held against turning independently thereof so as to revolve with the record, turntable and shaft, as

by engaging the pin 29 in the hole 30 provided in the record. With the spring coil properly adjusted so that the inner end thereof at the inner portion of the record and the playing needle I! line up with the inner sound roove and the outer.

portion 39 lines up with the outer sound groove, the playing needle I! is placed upon the record at 2,379,580 the outer sound groove and the machine operated to play the record in the usual way.

When the needle approaches the inner sound groove so that the tone arm ll swings inwardly across the record and sound groove area thereof, and the playing needle I! approaches the inner sound groove, the tone arm support or clip at the portion 45 will approach th rounded portion 31 and ride up over the same onto the inclined inner portion of the spring coil 35. As the record continues to rotate together with the spring coil, the spiral portion 38 will be advanced under the clip and causes the tone arm and needle to swing outwardly across the record and-playing area thereof .until it approaches the point a: and passes onto the eccentric portion 39, when the needle will be lined up with the outer so nd groove'and gradually and softly deposited onto the record. It should be noted that the spring coil extends approximately 360 and at the point a: is approxu allowance for play at the clip is not suflicient, this being also possible by. reason of the adjustment of the spring coil at the stem of the base .imately 90 from the free end of the coiLand beingflexible, the weight of the tone arm will bear or press the coil downwardly at the point a: or adjacent thereto, so that the needle willbe permitted to engage the record substantially'tan-- gentially thereto and without sudden drop, so as toprevent injury to the needle-point or'the record.

The portion 39 insures proper engagement of the needle with the grooveuntil released by the coil passing under the clip, which is insured by the downwardly curved or depressed portion, 40, whereby the coil is readily released from the clip or tone arm support.in positionto repeat the playing of the record in the usual way.

, The free end of the springcoil'terminates substantially .in' line with the portions 38 and3'l or or supporting means, and the entire last quarter turn of the record and spring is used to insure proper engagement of the needle with the sound groove. 13y bending the upright portion 44 of the clip, the portion 45 may be raised or lowered and the clip bent suit diiferent styles 0'! tone arms.

-WhileI have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into efiect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of theinvention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myseli of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto' secure by Letters- Patent is":

1. A phonographvrecord repeating device comprising a base formed with a central recess adapted to receive the turntable shaft of a phonograph with said base engaging a record on the turntable, means-for establishing-a. positive interlock between said base and said irecord, a stem upthe inner end of the coil at the eccentric portion 1 38 and gives proper elasticity or spring eil'ect to the coil.

The tone arm is also provided with proper leeway or supported on the wire whichconstitutes an inclined track or runway of resilient character so as not only to permit lateral play of the tone arm but also insure a gradual ,or feather landing of the needle into the the clip from catching on the wire.

, It-is also pointedout that when the clip is in position to engage .the spiral coil, the portion 45 is positioned above the bend l1, and when the bend III is reached, the needle rests on the recordj having been brought into engagement with the record at the inner end oi the concentric portion 39 or the outer endv oi the eccentric portion 38 or somewhere between the same, such as point a: and while traveling on'the concentric portion 88 and the end '40, so that the wire spring easily disengages itself from the clip as it continues to turn. The device is very simple in construction,

. durable, andinvolves no parts to move across and scratch or me!- the record, and the repeating action does not rehuire contact with-the needle point, so that the same will not become worn or groove and prevent .prislng a base adap standing Irom said base, and a spiral track carried by said stem. 1

. 2. A phonograph record repeating device comprising a base adapted to be drivably. mounted on a phonograph record to rotate therewith, and a spiral spring wire-having one end anchored to said base, and a free end, saidspring wire gradually increasing in resiliency toward said free end.

' 3. Aphonographrecord repeating device comto bedrlvably mounted on a phonograph reco to rotate therewith, a stem upstanding'i'rom' said base, a spiral spring wire having one end *adiustably anchored to said stem. and means to hold said spring wire in an adjusted position. I 1

4. A phonograph record repeating device comprising a base adapted to be drivably mounted on a phonograph record to rotate therewith; a stem upstanding from said base and having intersectling axial and transverse openings, a spiral spring to said stem.

" '5. A phonograph record repeating device coniprising a base adapted to be drivably' mounted injured, and sets the needle'down more softly and.

radually than can. be-

accomplished by hand, without asudden drill).

The adjustment specified for engagement of the tone arm-support or clip with the'inner end .o! the spring coil and toflinefupthe needle with theouter sound groove, insures perfect operation IQ;

on a phonograph record to rotate therewith, a stem upstanding from said base and having in- I tersecting axial and transverse openings-a. spring wire having an inner rectilinear portion, an'outer circular portion, andan ecoentric'portionjoining said inner and outer portions, the circular por- 'tion of said springwire gradually increasing in resiliency towards its iree "end, saidinner rec, tilinear portion being-adju'stably fitted in said transve se said axialo'pe'ning and, said rectilinear opening, anda set screw threaded into portion to hold said spiral- .lusted position. 

